drift socks

7889 Views 33 Replies 12 Participants Last post by catfishrus, Mar 8, 2006

scout172

Discussion Starter · Sep 29, 2005

what size drift socks do most people use,,a fisherman the other day said he uses two socks to keep the boat more stable,one at the front and one at the back.....any suggestions-all this drifting is new to me at santee

1 - 20 of 34 Posts

blackwaterkatz

· #2 · Sep 29, 2005

Scout, welcome to the BOC, first of all. About the drift socks, I know some of the posters are more familiar than I with exactly what works best, but usually they are designed for a particular size range boat, and I tend to go with one size larger. Right now I use a model from Cabela's, but it was for a smaller boat, and in stiff wind is not enough for the 17' I have now. At this time, I use only the one with a bridle arrangement that tracks the boat with stern to the wind and it works pretty well, unfortunately, it doesn't allow a very wide path of coverage. I really need to purchase another and use two, as you mentioned. That does allow more area coverage. The larger socks also allow much slower drifting, which works better by keeping the bait in an area a little longer.
I hope this will help you some; I'm sure someone else will provide more detailed information later.

jim

· #3 · Sep 29, 2005

Size the socks to the boat then go up one as Tommy says.Tommy next time I'm down I will bring some socks that I started with which will be just right for your boat.You are welcome to them as I don't use them any more.Cabela's sells some very good ones and in my next transmission I'll give a website that goes over everything one needs to know about socks.I would always have two and try and drift sideways which gives wider coverage.Stern first also works and you can spread the rods out to get good coverage.

sam9266

· #4 · Sep 29, 2005

Ive been wanting to try one off the rear of my anchored boat to cut down on the back and forth sideways movement of the back of the boat. Does anyone have any tips here for size of sock to use? My boat is an 18'8" Nitro Bass Boat (rigged for catfishing and Crappie). All I want it for is to stop the back of the boat from swaying in the currents.. do you think I still need one sized for an 18' boat?

tHANKS... sAM

blackwaterkatz

· #5 · Sep 29, 2005

Thanks, Jim. I could use them. Like I said, I use a bridle, and that keeps the stern into the wind really well. I've also tied it to the bow, and drift stern first, that also does goof, but the 2-sock rig is much better. I've tried attaching one sock about midways, and use the trolling motor to help out keeping the boat broadside, but I just don't care for the constant attention this sometimes requires.
Sam , I've used my sock to do what you want, with limited success. It helps, but doesn't completely stop the boat from swaying in current, but I haven't experimented a whole lot with length of the rope, etc. I would recommend a sock sized for an 18-21' boat, at minimum. Bigger is better, some of them have adjustable openings to control how much drag it exerts.

TOPS

· #6 · Sep 29, 2005

I made me some drift socks from 5 gallon buckets. I saw the idea in the B.O.C. library on the old site. Check with Bryan scrum and see if the info has been moved to this site yet. He has put in alot of time moving info from the old site. All should post and give Bryan a big atta-boy!!

jim

· #7 · Sep 29, 2005

A sock will only have limited success stabilizing the stern If you don't want to anchor get a piece of heavy chain and tie it to an anchor rope and just toss it over..That way it will hold but not have to be set

sam9266

· #8 · Sep 30, 2005

Last nite I was at Walmart and they had about a dozen minn kota brand drift socks on the shelf. Last year they carried them too and about this time of year they clearance sold them for half price. I think these have been on the shelf since first spring stocking of fishing supplies and probably wont sell without being marked down. I have NEVER seen ANYONE around here useing drift socks... drift fishing just isnt popular here.. maybe someone should tell that to Walmarts Purchasing Dept....lol Im gonna wait and see if they do it again this year and if they do Im gonna buy one and give it a try. The five gallon bucket idea would work but storage is a factor.. the socks roll up and fold into small neat packages. I beleive Bryan fishes from a pontoon boat where the room issue probably isnt much of a factor , but its still a good idea to keep in mind. I do remember him warning not to tie onto the handle of the bucket.. it wont support the pull of the bucket in current.. drill holes in the rim of the bucket and tie off thru the holes with your rope.

Thanks again... Sam

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TrophyCat

· #9 · Oct 2, 2005

I use two socks off the stern and fish a 5 rod spread. I use two 30" socks for light wind and two 60" socks for a stronger wind.

blackwaterkatz

· #10 · Oct 2, 2005

What type/size boat are you fishing from, Trophycat? The one sock I have is probably about 30" too, and I'm fishing a 1720CC Key West. It does pretty good in a light breeze, but anything over 8-10mph, it isn't enough for the slow drift.
Thanks

blackwaterkatz

· #11 · Oct 2, 2005

Sam9266, I looked back and found the size of your boat, sorry. I will check the walmarts around here. I think I have seen those socks before, but never looked closely. Jim says he has some extra that I can use, but if I see them on sale I'll try to let y'all know so you can check your local stores.
I want to do more drifting in the future, so I really am going to need more drag.
Scout , I assume you are fishing from a 17' boat similar to mine. If that's the case, I think 2 of the (30"?) would work. I don't usually go by diameter, but what size the mfg. suggests for a particular size boat. Some of the socks are made with closed ends, some with adjustable, and some have a small opening (which is what I have).

jim

· #12 · Oct 3, 2005

The best ones I have found are made by Wave Tamer.They are made of rip-stop nylon and have an adjustable opening,plus they have vents in the sides to stabilize them so they dont spin.They also have flotation on the top and weights on the bottom so they deploy instantly.Go to google and type in fishing drift socks and you can find their website.They make them in all sizes up to about 10 ft.

scout172

Discussion Starter · #13 · Oct 4, 2005

talked to a guy yesterday that does a lot of drifting at santee,he said he has bought a number of drift socks over the years and the best ones he found is made by a lady in cross sc-ms. easterlin ,her number is 843-753-2353..and they last longer than the other ones he has bought before

jim

· #14 · Oct 4, 2005

I know those socks well as Kevin Davis uses them.One major dis advantage of those socks is there is no flotation ring at the top or weighted portion at the bottom.They take a while and some shaking to get them to deploy.Go to www.driftbag.com and you will see all you ever need to know about socks.

WylieCat

· #15 · Oct 4, 2005

I started using one this year. I bought it at Bass Pro Shops, and there are several manufacturers. They are sized according to boat length, and I think the hull of a center console is probably what they are designed for. Obviously a center console has more surface area for wind than a bass boat, but not as much as a pontoon, so you can make your purchase accordingly.

Be sure to buy one with a second rope for "collapsing" the sock when it is deployed, otherwise you will have to work winch it in.

They are easy to use, simply tie it off and throw it out. They find their shape in the current and inflate. Make sure they are tie off good.

chrisblue

· #16 · Oct 5, 2005

I just bought a 10 footer from the lady in cross and this one has a built in float at the top and weights in the bottem so she must have just started putting them in there.It is the best 130 dollars I've spent in a while I used to use two 5 footers but those two didnt hold a candle to this 10 footer the only bad thing about the big socks is keeping the fish out of it.

TrophyCat

· #17 · Oct 6, 2005

blackwaterkatz said:
What type/size boat are you fishing from, Trophycat? The one sock I have is probably about 30" too, and I'm fishing a 1720CC Key West. It does pretty good in a light breeze, but anything over 8-10mph, it isn't enough for the slow drift.
Thanks

21' Walkaround with a Bimini up all the time, alot of windage. The 2 60" ones work fairly well for a slow drift up untill about 15-20 knots then it's time to look for cover for a wind break. Bought the 60's from Bass Pro.

rango

· #18 · Oct 12, 2005

sam9266 said:
Ive been wanting to try one off the rear of my anchored boat to cut down on the back and forth sideways movement of the back of the boat. Does anyone have any tips here for size of sock to use? My boat is an 18'8" Nitro Bass Boat (rigged for catfishing and Crappie). All I want it for is to stop the back of the boat from swaying in the currents.. do you think I still need one sized for an 18' boat?

tHANKS... sAM

If the down wind or down current end of your boat is swaying back and forth you can try this, which works for me. hang one anchor, then hang the other. then EQUALIZE the length of rope you got out each end then draw the boat tight tween the two anchors. both ropes should be bowstring tight. if they arent you gonna have sway. If you got a short rope on one end and a long on the other, you are gonna sway back and forth in the wind or current. most folks, in current throw the upcurrent anchor first and let the boat drift till it hangs, then just drop the back anchor out which more or less goes straight down and probably aint even hung. hang the downstream anchor first by using the motor then go upstream and hang the second one and shift the boat tween the two and draw the boat TIGHT and it should end any shifting problems you have.

whichrod

· #19 · Oct 13, 2005

if your drifting socks arnt big enough try drifting your underware buh ha , sorry iii just had to say that

blackwaterkatz

· #20 · Oct 20, 2005

Scout172, did you decide on a drift sock setup yet?

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